How to bootstrap Framsticks through Python? 
Submitted by Darth_Malloc on Sun, 2018-03-04 16:05

Hello all,

I am a doctoral student specializing in artificial intelligence, am trying to do a project that requires some control of Framsticks through Python. I am running Linux Mint 17.1. I am therefore wondering if there is an effective way to bootstrap Framsticks in Python, and, if so, what methods have been used successfully. Your help is greatly appreciated. I am sorry if my question is vague, but since my project will be original research, I would prefer not to give away additional details at this time.

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Submitted by Maciej Komosinski on Sun, 2018-03-04 21:38

We do lots of Framsticks research projects all the time and we love Python! Since you do not mention exactly what you want to do (and if you need "real-time", step by step control or not), I will outline a few possibilities.

First, learning and using FramScript will be most useful. It will let you control the way Framsticks works and design an interface with other (e.g. Python-based) scripts used to prepare input data (if needed) and to analyze output/results (if needed). Going through and completing the entire tutorial is highly recommended; the last section of the tutorial also addresses your question.
http://www.framsticks.com/common/tutorial/index.html

  • To read and write Framsticks files in Python (in particular, genotypes), use the "framsfiles" module from https://www.framsticks.com/svn/framsticks/framspy/
  • To perform evolutionary experiments controlled from a Python script (the logic of the algorithm is implemented in Python, while the Framsticks library is used to perform mutation, crossover, and evaluate genotypes), use FramsticksLib.py from https://www.framsticks.com/svn/framsticks/framspy/ This way you can not only perform evolution, but even design and use your own genetic representation implemented entirely in python.
  • If you don't want to implement the optimization logic in python yourself, you can use FramsticksEvolution.py from https://www.framsticks.com/svn/framsticks/framspy/ and have easy access to a multitude of evolutionary architectures.
  • Controlling Framsticks more fully (e.g. real-time access to properties and fields within the simulator) is possible as in FramsticksLib.py – see frams-test.py for examples.
  • Another option is to use Framsticks server. Then you communicate with the Framsticks engine (just like you would control a CLI) using any programming language/tool by following a simple text protocol.
    http://www.framsticks.com/common/server.html
  • Python is integrated with Framsticks as well as a language that can be used within Framsticks. So you can, for example, call a Python function or write a piece of code in Python that will be called from a FramScript script.
  • Another option is to use https://bitbucket.org/mack0/pythonidas/src/master/ but this will require some software development skills.

Use the newest version for your experiments:
http://www.framsticks.com/apps-devel

and feel free to contact us with more specific questions that will let you progress faster with your research.

Submitted by Darth_Malloc on Sat, 2018-03-10 03:36

Thank you very much. That helps me a lot.